Birmingham Man Jailed for Defrauding Covid Eat Out to Help Out Scheme
A Birmingham man has been sentenced for fraudulently claiming over £268,000 from Covid support schemes, including the Eat Out to Help Out initiative.
Birmingham, Hall Green, UK, Covid, Fraud, Eat Out to Help Out
Birmingham: A man named Zeeshan Ashraf has been sentenced for fraud. He claimed over £268,000 from various Covid support schemes.
Ashraf, 44, from Hall Green, swindled the Eat Out to Help Out scheme. He made fake applications for hospitality companies that didn’t exist, claiming £26,928. He also tried to claim an additional £14,651 unsuccessfully.
He fraudulently received £91,174 from the Covid Job Retention Scheme. He submitted false applications on behalf of his business clients, with another £38,082 being denied.
Ashraf used his company, AZ Certified Accounting Limited, to apply for bounce back loans. He claimed the funds would help his business during the pandemic but spent the £50,000 from each bank on personal expenses.
He inflated his company’s turnover to get the maximum loan amount. He also failed to inform two banks about his previous application to Barclays, which was against the rules.
Ashraf pleaded guilty to five counts of fraud. His crimes occurred between April 2020 and April 2021. He was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison.
Kate Hurst from the Crown Prosecution Service said Ashraf took advantage of a national crisis. She noted that some of the money has been repaid, but they will seek to recover the rest.
Hurst emphasized that they will continue to pursue fraudsters who exploit government support programs.